External Cat 6 Cable - Sheilded / Grounded??

Associate
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1 Mar 2003
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Hi all

Im putting in two new runs of cat6 that I had left over from doing the house up

Plan is to put in a IP camera and an external access point in

I was planning on using the excel cable that I had left however should I be putting in shielded and external cable in ???
The runs are 20m max and run to a POE switch in the attic - so both access point and camera will be POE

Have gone and bought some external shielded cable but whats thrown me now is the ground or drain wire???

Never heared of this - any advice would be great / should I ground / should I get the external cable and shielded / how do you ground

Have googled but but no simple answer yet

The wire will be placed in plastic conduit externally too
Thanks
 
Soldato
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If you’re running it in conduit then you don’t need outdoor cable. The issue with outdoor cable is primarily sunlight breaking down the outer and that’s probably a 5-10 year process in the UK. If the cable is in conduit then the cable is protected from the elements and you can use normal indoor cable.
 
Associate
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If you use 'direct burial' cable you don't need conduit. It's much heavier gauge though, requires a larger radius on bends, and if you need to manipulate it through walls etc., can be a pain.
 
Associate
OP
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Thanks all - its going in conduit down the side of the house then its going in the very small gap between two extensions - very very little sun will get there - but I suppose some parts will get sun under the eaves
I have the shielded/external stuff comming - so will use it just in case - the ubiquiti thing about grounding looks ok - I was actually thinking of getting a ubiquiti access point - but never used ubiquiti before and not sure if they can be used standalone (I think they can- you confiigure and then forget essentially I think)
They not cheap but look good
 
Caporegime
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I wouldn't be that fussed with grounding if it's not the highest thing on your building and your house is a normal height. Nobody grounds out TV aerials, satellite dishes etc. The Ubiquiti grounding is for people putting the things up on towers really.
 
Soldato
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I wouldn't be that fussed with grounding if it's not the highest thing on your building and your house is a normal height. Nobody grounds out TV aerials, satellite dishes etc. The Ubiquiti grounding is for people putting the things up on towers really.

On the UBNT training they say ALWAYS use an earth on any external run because lightning doesn’t always strike the highest point on a building and it can spread. Even if it does hit the main lightning conductor, it can jump from the highest point to the next highest point and on until it hits the ground, and even then it can cause what’s known as a ground charge (which is why you shouldn’t like down in a thunderstorm).

So, for the sake of £12 or so, I always fit the earthing unit. Your warranty is also voided if you fit an external access point without a grounding device.

Obviously, you can say that UBNT want to sell more stuff, so they’re bound to recommend it, and then you realise they wouldn’t have made it if someone didn’t need it at least once...
 
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OP
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Its the earthing bit Im struggling with - cant find a straight answer yet - the patch panel isnt shielded / grounded so nothing to attach it to in the attic (no water pipes) - unless it goes back through the switch plug or something - do both end need to be grounded too???
 
Soldato
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There is an earth on the back of almost every switch I’ve ever seen. It’s just a screw with a little bit of metal. If there isn’t one, drill a small hole into the metal casing on the switch and fix the earth to that. The case is grounded through the mains lead. You only need to ground the switch end of the cable.
 
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